Chosen Name
Chosen First Name and Identity Policy
The university recognizes some students prefer to use chosen first names other than their legal names to identify themselves and acknowledges the fluidity of gender and pronouns. For this reason, LMU has created a Chosen Name and Identity policy that enables students to use a Chosen First Name, where possible. Students may also indicate their gender identity and pronoun. In the spirit of LMU's Mission and Identity, the University provides these options in order to help foster a more welcoming, supportive, and respectful campus climate for the entire LMU community.
Under LMU's Chosen Name and Identity policy, students may elect to use a Chosen First Name in addition to their Legal Name. Students may add a Chosen First Name via their PROWL profile. The student's Chosen First Name may be used in many contexts, including PROWL, class rosters, Brightspace, and on university ID cards. For some other records, LMU is legally required to use a student's Legal Name. Whenever reasonably possible, a student's Chosen First Name is used.
Students may also choose their pronoun and indicate their gender identity. Only some systems used by departments on-campus support pronouns. Certain departments require sex as well as gender information for business reasons; however, most areas can view gender information only.
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A Chosen First Name is a name a student wishes to be known by in the University community that is different from a student’s Legal Name. Loyola Marymount University's policy covers Chosen First and Middle Names. Remember, surnames can be changed only with a legal name change.
Chosen first names are meant to show respect for yourself and who you define yourself as an individual. In the spirit of community, your chosen name shows your respect for the LMU community standards and values shared with you since your admission to the university. Chosen First Names may not be used for purposes of fraud or misrepresentation. The University reserves the right to remove a Chosen First Name if it contains inappropriate or offensive language.
A Legal Name is a name that appears on your passport, driver’s license, birth certificate, or U.S. Social Security Card.
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Creating or Changing a Chosen Name
Students may indicate or change a Chosen Name via PROWL. Please allow up to 24-hours after a student indicates a Chosen First Name, Identity, or Pronoun for it to display in certain LMU systems.
Currently, the change request in PROWL will automatically update the following systems:
- AIM (utilized by DSS)
- Brightspace
- Degree Works
- Handshake
- LEO
- Web CheckOut (SFTV)
Additional applications will be added to this list late September. The applications include:
- Box
- Campus Director (for Greek Life)
- My LMU
- OneCard
- Teams
- Zoom
Additional systems will be listed here when it becomes available.
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Students may add a Chosen First Name; however, a request for changes to a Middle or Last Name will require the process of changing a Legal Name.
As long as the use of a Chosen First Name is not for the purpose of misrepresentation, the university acknowledges that a Chosen Name should be used whenever possible in the course of university business and education.
Therefore, the university will permit any student who wishes to choose to identify themselves within the university’s information systems with a Chosen Name in lieu of their Legal Name. It is further understood that the student's Chosen Name should be used in university communications and reporting, except where the use of the Legal Name is necessitated by university business or legal requirement.
This service may be modified, changed, altered, or rescinded at the discretion of LMU.
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Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a student's name, including Chosen First Name, may be disclosed as "directory information" unless the student opts not to permit such disclosure by requesting a Non-disclosure of Directory Information.
Questions?
If you have any questions or require additional assistance, please contact us at registrar@lmu.edu.
Would you like to learn more?
To learn more about chosen name and identities, and FAQs, please visit the Student Affairs Dean's Office website.